Chapter 379 Red vs. Blue
On April 1st, Akihabara in Tokyo became particularly lively.
The anime and electronics stores that line both sides of the street are almost always crowded with people.
Although there were many people in the past, it was rare to see a scene like this where the entire street was so crowded that it was difficult to move.
However, even though people were crowded together, the crowd was unexpectedly divided into two factions.
Although there was no obvious distinction between the clothing items, everyone tacitly gathered in two groups in front of each store.
And the occasional glances at the opposite side, all declared to outsiders that they were not in the same group.
Not only were they not in the same group, there was even a hint of hostility between them.
The reason for such a clear-cut situation is, of course, closely related to the fact that everyone is gathered here today.
Just look at the magazines or newspapers they are holding.
"Shirakawa Electric VS Nintendo! REDAY GO!"
"The curtain opens, and the two heroes of the game appear on stage!"
"Red vs. Blue! Departure Today!"
Look at the atmosphere, it's already here. As die-hard fans of both teams, it would be a miracle if they can get along with each other.
More than half a month ago, the media has been hyping up the duel between the two giants in the game console industry.
Whether you should know or not, everyone knows that something big is happening in the gaming world today.
Akihabara, where a large number of anime, arcade stores, and electronics stores gather, is of course the first choice for young people.
Although the spring break is about to end, it does not prevent everyone from welcoming this grand event in the game console industry on the last day of the holiday.
As soon as ten o'clock in the morning arrived, the shops on both sides of the street opened their doors to welcome customers as if they had made an appointment.
“Here it comes! Here it comes!”
As soon as the store door opened, what caught my eye was the distinct red and blue colors.
Nintendo's red FC poster and Shirakawa Electric's blue FES poster.
They are hung in the most conspicuous position at the door, one on the left and one on the right , with strong targeted meaning.
The excited fans outside the door couldn't help but cheer when they saw this scene.
Then, as if they had received orders at the same time, the two groups rushed into the store together.
They were heading in the same direction, but their destinations automatically split to the left and right after they entered the door.
When it comes to stirring up trouble, the stores in Akihabara are better than the media.
These merchants, who have been immersed in product promotion for many years, are well aware that different fan groups despise and have prejudices against each other.
It just so happens that the red-blue battle that has been hotly discussed in the media has already caused quite a bit of discussion, so wouldn’t it be a shame not to take advantage of this?
As a result, each store found various ways to create conflicts between fans, and the tit-for-tat posters at the door were simply child's play.
Some people are so smart that they just put up two big billboards at the door.
The daily sales of Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo game consoles will be recorded above.
Whoever wins a day will have a small flag placed behind his or her signboard.
Look, the sales of the game console you support are lagging behind today. Why not ask your friends to support it?
But no matter who wins or loses between Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo, the store will definitely not lose money.
"FC! FC!", "FES! Give me a FES!"
The sound of greetings could be heard all the time in the store. The cashiers were so busy that they were sweating and didn't even have time to communicate occasionally.
The crowd crowded in front of the counter waiting to check out , with red and blue coins in their hands.
A rough estimate shows that the numbers of the two seem to be about the same.
The reason for this evenly matched situation is that the fan bases of the two are almost the same size.
This can be seen from the market share of the two handheld game consoles. Although Shirakawa Electric has an advantage, it is not overwhelming.
Nintendo is an old player in the gaming industry, and its accumulated fan base can slightly make up for the lack of market share.
Another reason why the two are not much different is that Shirakawa Electric's FES and Nintendo's FC have the same price, both 14,800 yen.
Look, isn’t this a coincidence?
In fact, it is not a coincidence. The marketing departments of both companies have analyzed it.
If we want to make game consoles affordable for a group of people, mainly students, then the price must follow the principle of low pricing.
After Shirakawa Electric revealed its price, Nintendo set the same price without hesitation.
Sega's SG-1000 was initially priced at 19,800 yen, but after comparing with the other two companies, it quietly lowered the price to 15,000 yen.
"Manager! Manager! Why are there no game consoles?" The loud voice silenced the crowd.
"Eh?" The busy clerk raised his head and looked at the red and blue packaging boxes on the shelf, then looked at the questioner strangely.
"Uh, I'm talking about Sega's SG-1000 game console."
"Tsk~" The crowd booed in unison.
The questioner blushed and ran away in fear.
This little episode did not affect everyone's enthusiasm for shopping. After getting the game consoles, many people stopped at another row of shelves.
Why? Because it’s filled with game cartridges.
Similarly, Shirakawa Electric and Nintendo's cartridges are also divided into left and right.
In fact, in the packaging box in their hands, along with the console, there was also a box of cassettes given by two companies.
The one Nintendo gave away was "Donkey Kong" and the one Shirakawa Electric gave away was "Raiden".
Both companies have coincidentally brought out their most popular games. If they want their game consoles to sell well, the first lineup of games is crucial.
For kids, one game is not enough.
Soon the shelves filled with game cartridges were crowded with people.
Of course, the first things people buy are the already famous ported games, such as Nintendo's "Donkey Kong Jr" and "Popeye the Sailor Man".
They are both very well-known arcade games, and countless people have played both of them.
Shirakawa Electric also has arcade hits like "Pac-Man", so it doesn't have to worry about sales.
But overall, there were obviously more people standing in front of Shirakawa Electric's game cartridges.
This is because Shirakawa Electric had many more first-run game cartridges for the FES than Nintendo.
In addition to "Raiden" and "Pac-Man", HAL also brought out the two games "Tank Battle" and "Double Dragon".
Third-party game developers, such as Namco's "Gall Bee" and Enix's "Door Door", are also on the shelves.
And depending on the content of the game, Shirakawa Electric's game cartridges are also designed in different colors.
For example, the blue of "Raiden", the yellow of "Pac-Man", the military green of "Tank Battle", etc. The game stickers are also very exquisite.
It's nothing like Nintendo's game cartridges, there are only three types on the shelf, and they are all gray and white.
In the eyes of children, colorful colors are of course more attractive.
Looking at the chattering discussions on the other side, the students holding their Nintendo game consoles couldn't help feeling a little lost.
At the same time, the exquisite game posters at Shirakawa Feng Electric Appliances attracted their attention from time to time.
I'm so envious, my heart feels like being scratched by a kitten, it's so itchy.
…
In the dormitory of an ordinary university in Nishikawa City, Hyogo Prefecture, a classmate wearing black-framed glasses was lying on the bed, flipping through a book boredly.
The motionless eyeballs and the page of the book that had been turned over for a long time all showed that he was absent-minded at the moment.
"Siguoyi! Siguoyi~"
A series of shouts came from outside the door, getting closer and closer. With a bang, a short-haired boy wearing a vest rushed into the dormitory.
The loud noise made the classmate with glasses, who was flipping through a book on the bed out of boredom, frown subconsciously.
He raised his upper body and looked at his impetuous roommate, wanting to know what the other person was so excited about.
"Hey" His action made the short-haired boy turn his attention here.
"Xiaodao, hurry up! There's something good!"
Seeing that it was the taciturn guy from the same club, the short-haired boy was so excited that he couldn't help but raise the blue box in his hand and greet him.
"Hey" A classmate named Xiaodao was attracted by his roommate's behavior and couldn't help but stand up and walk over.
However, at this time, the short-haired boy had already started fiddling with the old TV in the dormitory.
Soon the TV was turned on and the blue and white game console in the box was plugged in.
"What is this, Dayong-kun?" The curious Xiaodao on the side couldn't help but ask.
"Game console, FES game console produced by Shirakawa Electric!" Dayong answered without turning his head.
After the screen was debugged, the Shirakawa Electric logo soon appeared on the TV.
Dayong rubbed his hands excitedly, then deftly inserted a game cartridge called "Double Dragon" into the game console.
Xiaodao, who was standing nearby, watched all this intently. This new type of game console was the first time he had seen it.
Soon a burst of music interrupted his reverie, and the huge Chinese characters "Double Dragon" on the old TV were particularly eye-catching.
"It's started! It's started!" Dayong clapped his hands excitedly, making a crisp "pa" sound.
"Ah~ Da~" Dayong made a kung fu gesture with his hands.
Unfortunately, because he gained a lot of weight, he failed to imitate any of Li Xiaolong's charm.
But he quickly wiped his hands and threw a blue and white handle to Kojima.
"Here, take it!"
"Hey" Xiaodao hurriedly caught the handle, and then was at a loss as to what to do.
"Hurry up and sit down, idiot! The game has already started~" With Dayong pressing buttons randomly, the game quickly passed the opening animation.
Then two little men, one red and one blue, appeared on the street with a city background. Just when Xiaodao was wondering what to do next, Dayong gave him a good demonstration.
"Ah~! Ah~! Hit~" The handle in Dayong's hand made a crackling sound as he pressed it. He even felt that it was not enough and thoughtfully added some sound for the little man.
Inspired by him, Xiaodao carefully pressed a few buttons on the controller.
"Swish, swish, swish", the movements of punching and kicking are quite smooth.
Huh? Kung Fu~
Xiaodao was feeling a little excited, and his hands were moving faster and faster unconsciously.
Soon, the sound of keyboard keys rang out in the dormitory.
"Damn, he's dead again!" Dayong is a novice but loves to play. After a while, the red dots representing the health bar disappeared completely.
However, because of his despicable fighting style, Xiaodao still had a little blood left and was barely alive.
"Onboard! Xiaodao, hurry up! Get him!", "Oops, he's dead again!"
The sounds of shouting and yelling rose and fell in the dormitory, and Kojima's dull expression gradually became more lively.
He looked down at the HAL logo on the game cartridge, as well as the name of the game designer/supervisor: Satoru Iwata, and secretly fantasized in his heart.
Is this a game console? That's really interesting.
It would be great if my name "Hideo Kojima" could appear on it in the future.
